


The other side of the fence

by piedalecki



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dean x Cas - Freeform, Destiel - Freeform, F/M, Fluff, Highschool AU, M/M, Neighbor au, One-Shot, Summer Vacation, dean hates summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-14
Updated: 2016-05-14
Packaged: 2018-06-08 10:17:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6850744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piedalecki/pseuds/piedalecki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Quick highschool AU. Dean and Cas are neighbors and they spend the summer hanging out with each other (sort of).</p>
            </blockquote>





	The other side of the fence

It's too hot, Dean decides - and by "too hot" he means 97 degrees with a side of killer sunshine.

He's sprawled out lazily on the pool deck beside his house, too overheated to move. It's only July, but thanks to this heat wave, the grass around him is already turning brown and fuck, he hates summer. It's not so much the heat (although that sucks, too) or even the fact that his overwhelming amount of freckles stands out so much more in this weather. It's being alone that bothers him. Sure, he has Sam, but even his kid brother has more friends than Dean does. None of his classmates kept in touch - not that he expected them too, they were all assholes. The last time he's made any human contact outside of his family was when that blonde girl from down the street (Jessica? Maybe) stopped by to give his mom some kind of casserole. Two weeks ago.

Dean groans and rubs his nose, adding "allergies" to his growing list of why he hates summer. He could go inside, but it's not worth it. He'll still be just as bored, and besides, it's more peaceful out here. In a strange, lonely, sunburnt sort of way. So he doesn't go in; he lies at the side of the pool with his eyes closed. For a moment, he thinks he could fall asleep. But then his allergies start really acting up and he sneezes loudly.

"Bless you."

The voice comes out of nowhere, and it scares Dean so badly that he jumps to his feet and stumbles backwards. Right into the pool. For a moment he almost forgets how to swim, because the water is freaking cold and he's still wondering who spoke to him. But as he drags himself out of the pool, he's mostly just angry. It wasn't that swimming hadn't crossed his mind; it's perfect weather for it, after all. There are just a few small problems. One, he's still fully clothed, and two, his sudden entry was all but pleasant. He's still a little bit shocked, and his ankle stings from where he scraped it on the deck. So, in short, whoever spoke to him is going to very much regret it.

"What the hell?" he growls, searching the lawn for any sign of intruders. It was a girl's voice, he thinks as he rubs chlorine out of his eyes. And then suddenly somebody is laughing, and it's such a pretty, ringing sound that he doesn't feel quite so upset anymore. It's coming from the other side of the tall fence that wraps around their backyard - that's right, they have new neighbors. Sam had pointed out the moving trucks the day before. Dean doesn't care anymore that he's wet and cold, he's too excited at the prospect of maybe, just maybe having a friend.

"I'm sorry," the person on the other side of the fence says, and it's definitely not a girl. It's a boy with a very soft, giggly voice. He can't stop laughing as he speaks, so he must have heard the splash Dean made falling into the pool. "Not funny," Dean mutters, even though he's beginning to smile in spite of himself. Right now heh wishes he could see over or through the fence. Unfortunately, it's way too tall, and any broken boards had been meticulously repaired by his father, who didn't approve of neighbors looking at their property. But the fence isn't soundproof, and that's good enough for now. "What's your name?" Dean asks. He peels his wet shirt off and tosses it aside.

"Castiel," the voice says. "Castiel Novak." Dean likes that name; it's old-fashioned and fancy. And yet somehow it suits a boy who laughed when Dean fell unceremoniously into the pool. "I'm Dean," he tells Castiel, sitting down with his back to the fence. "You just moved in, yeah?" Castiel seems to hesitate. "Yeah," he finally murmurs, reluctance clinging to his voice. "I don't really like it here." Dean should feel bad for him, but he doesn't, because if Castiel wasn't here he would be alone right now. "Sorry about that," he lies through his teeth. "You'll get used to it."

"Yeah, yeah," I know," Castiel scoffs, but there's a hint of playfulness hiding behind his annoyed tone. "Anyway, I have to go inside. Seeya, Dean." For some reason, Dean isn't as disappointed as he should be. He's in a good mood, and has the feeling that he'll talk to Castiel soon.

And the next day, he does.

It's Tuesday, and Tuesday is just as boring as every other day of the week. So Dean sits by the pool and taps a rhythm onto the hot concrete with his fingers, vaguely hoping that Castiel is on the other side of the fence. It takes about five minutes, but sure enough, he hears footsteps behind him. "Cas?" he asks hesitantly, and then stops to think. "Is it okay if I call you that?" The soft laugh he gets in response makes him giddy. "Sure," Cas says, and Dean is pretty sure he's smiling. Maybe summer won't be so boring after all.

Throughout the next too weeks, the boys continue their conversation. Dean finds himself waiting by the fence every day. But he certainly doesn't consider it time wasted, because he's learning more about Cas than he's ever learned about anyone else. He'll be damned if that boy doesn't have the nicest voic he's ever heard. Dean could listen to it for hours, and that's exactly what he does. He drinks in the stories and jokes and any other bit of information that's shared with him. Cas is seventeen. He has an older brother named Gabriel ("Don't mess with him, he's a dick"). Cas likes cats and swimming and watching Game of Thrones. He's never gotten lower than an A- on any of his tests. He's pretty much perfect, in Dean's opinion.

And Dean shares his stories, too. He tell Cas all about himself and his family and that one time Sam walked in on him and some chick and told their parents. The time a squirrel got inside the house. The time Dean's new dog ripped up the couch and he blamed it on Sam - and their parents believed him. Cas can hardly breathe, he's laughing so hard. Dean glows with pride because he's the one who caused that beautiful sound. He finally has a friend.

Sometimes they don't even talk, just sit lazily on their opposite sides of the fence. Slapping mosquitos. Groaning muffled complaints about the heat. And neither of them mind the silence at all; it's enough just feeling each other's presence. Strangely enough, the idea of meeting Cas face-to-face never crosses Dean's mind. It's like they have a permanent barrier between them, even though they're only separated by a thin fence. Dean doesn't even find himself wondering what Cas looks like. It's unimportant, really, because they've become best friends overnight and best friends don't worry about those things.

At least Dean and Cas don't worry about it.

It's a Friday, and school starts in two weeks. Dean is bored, lonely, and generally just in a bad mood. Cas hasn't been at the fence all day and Sam is out somewhere with that Jessica girl, which leaves Dean alone with his parents. Normally that wouldn't be so bad, but at the moment they're insisting that he needs to go shopping for school clothes. Not to mention mow the lawn, collect the mail, become President of the United States, etc.

After a lengthy argument, he storms out of the house to get the mail. Their mailbox is at the end of the driveway, right next to the Novaks'. This only upsets Dean further, because he really wants to talk to Cas right now and his friend is nowhere to be seen - or heard, really. Dean kicks the mailbox in frustration, not caring that his foot takes more damage than the mailbox does. "Son of a bitch," he mutters under his breath.

"Dean?"

The voice is quiet and familiar and oh god it's definitely Castiel Novak. Dean's head jerks up and he stares unabashedly. This is definitely not how he thought they'd meet, but he really can't complain. Cas is gorgeous. His pale skin is contrasted sharply by dark hair and icy blue eyes that look like they have a million galaxies swimming in them. Thick eyelashes flutter as he blinks and - fuck - those lips look so soft. Dean suddenly wants to kiss him, but he figures he should at least wait until the first date. "Hey, Cas," he manages to choke out. He doesn't remember when his heart started pounding this hard. Cas suddenly grins, his teeth showing and eyes crinkling at the corners. Dean's never seen anybody with such a nice smile.

He likes looking at Cas just as much as he likes talking to him.


End file.
